Alexandria university to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon challenge

Apr 21, 2013

Shell and Alexandria University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which Shell will support students from the faculty of Engineering to join universities from Egypt and from the region in building ultra fuel-efficient vehicles and participate in the global Shell Eco-marathon challenge.

The MOU was signed by Dr. Osama Ibrahim, President of Alexandria University, and Jeroen Regtien, Shell Egypt’s Country Chairman & Managing Director. The signing took place in the university premises and among those present were the participating students in the Shell Eco-marathon challenge.

By 2050, the number of cars on the road is expected to triple and a variety of fuels and technologies will be needed to meet the growing demand for mobility while limiting CO2 emissions.

Shell recently launched the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) challenge in the Middle East and Africa to encourage and foster innovative ideas about fuel-efficiency and the future of transport among high school and university students. This challenge has been running for the last 28 years and takes place each year in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific and challenges more than 5000 students of top universities to design and build energy efficient vehicles. The current highest record achieved was in 2010 by a French team in SEM Europe who were capable of driving 4,896.1 kilometers on a single liter of fuel – the equivalent of driving from Egypt to the UK.

“We are pleased to launch this challenge in the region as part of our global programs on smart mobility and Technology & Innovation,” said Jeroen Regtien. “This is clear evidence of our commitment to help societies meet the energy needs in ways that are economically, environmentally and socially responsible.”

Vehicles in the Shell Eco-marathon can use any conventionally available energy source including fuels such as diesel, gasoline and Gas-to-Liquids (GTL), as well as alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ethanol, solar and battery electric. Teams can enter vehicles in two categories, the ‘Prototypes’ group where the primary design consideration is reducing drag and maximising efficiency and ‘Urban Concept’ which focuses on design that is contemporary, but still focusing on fuel efficiency.

Alexandria University is now set to join Cairo University, Ain Shams University and other teams from the region, such as Qatar, UAE and Lebanon, to compete in this global challenge.

“The Shell Eco-marathon is a great opportunity for our students to apply what they have learned in university and gain hands-on engineering and project management experience.” said Dr. Osama Ibrahim, President of Alexandria University.

“This is a milestone for the universities to develop the first ultra fuel-efficient vehicles ever built in the country and also representing Egypt for the first time in this high-profile global event,” Said Jeroen Regtien. “I look forward to their participation and wish them the best of luck in this exciting challenge.”